Slaying the Shifter Prince

DNF @ about 10-15%. In the first few pages I already didn't like the main girl and that's not a great a sign. So I started skipping around and reading the interactions between the king and the performer and it did not get any better or more interesting. She wants revenge for a tragedy that happened to her family but she's obsessive and incredibly ill-informed about it. After 10 years of planning you don't even have all your facts right girl?! And I also don't like how the characters are written. She comes of as a “badass heroine” who talks a big game but we don't see them do anything other than have a shitty attitude. The king seems like a generic “asshole who actually loves deeply” type of love interest and I didn't care about him.

I'll be honest. I went into this with low expectations. I saw it recommended on reddit and downloaded it on KU. If I had come across it just browsong the store, I don't think I'd have picked it up. I'm usually disappointed by darker characters. They just don't hit the sweet spot for me. Zita and Sepher obliterated it. I was immediately taken in by Zita's confidence. She owns her body and sexuality and doesn't apologize for it.

I love Zita and Sepher's dynamic. I never knew punishment and malicious compliance could be so hot. I loved the pacing and the discovery as they learned more about each other.

The twist wasn't very twisty. Called it pretty early on, but overall I think this is a solid read and I'm really happy I read it.